Upsets, Cinderella stories, and most importantly, trophies—all the hallmarks of collegiate sports in the month of March. But with the rapid spread of the coronavirus, those glorious wins, heartbreaking losses, and picture-worthy moments are quickly fading away. It’s the end of the road for NCAA athletes, and there are no more trophies to be won.
In addition to the cancelation of all ACC sporting events, the NCAA has just announced its cancelation of all Division I basketball tournaments and any remaining winter and spring athletic championships.
NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors made the announcement on Twitter late Thursday afternoon.
“The decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to the spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities,” the statement said.
All NCAA conference tournaments, as well as the national championships in all sports, have been canceled amid the fears of the virus.
The Division I NCAA men’s basketball tournament brings in around 1 billion dollars every year in revenue, according to Yahoo Finance. Selection Sunday for the men’s tournament was set for this Sunday, and the women’s bracket would have been announced on Monday.
The Hockey East Tournament has also been canceled, ending the road for one of the best Eagles’ teams in recent history. BC hockey went 24-8-2 overall and 17-6-1 in the conference—including a nine-game unbeaten streak to end the season—en route to a No. 1 seed in the Hockey East Tournament.
The NCAA’s announcement comes after many professional sports leagues have begun to halt play as well. The NBA was the first to suspend its season after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. A second player for the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell, has also tested positive for the virus, according to CBS Sports.
“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of [Wednesday’s] schedule of games until further notice,” the NBA said in a public statement on Wednesday. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”
The MLB has also decided to suspend Spring Training games and delay the beginning of the 2020 regular season by at least two weeks as a result of the virus. The NHL postponed play indefinitely with three-and-a-half more weeks left in the season.
